Cantor (Kantur) Church
In terms of size, there is a small church with a four-sided plan, with two large domes in the center of the chapel and the other smaller on top of the altar. The materials used are bricks and mortars, with bricks arranged in a very tidy manner, resulting a beautiful building. The Russians in the city of Qazvin built the Cantor Church, known as the Bell Tower, during World War II, during the occupation of Iran.
The Cantor Church has one door entrance, which the Russian cross draw on the walls of the two sides of it. At the top of the entrance, a three-floor chamber leads to a small dome. The entrances to the Cantor Church are located on the west side, and include entrance with a sloping roof and entrance door.
There are two tombstones in the courtyard of this church. One of these graves belongs to a Russian pilot and another to a Russian engineer who has lost his life in Iran. Like the other churches, this chapel has a trigonous plan and its altar is eastward.
Cantor in Russian means the headquarters or center. There are two chambers on the side of the church, one that was used to change the priest’s dress. The cross under the dome of this church is a symbol of orthodox Christians, with an oblique line on it. The reason for this diagonal line is that the orthodox believe that, in addition to the hands of Jesus Christ (AS), his legs were crossed in an oblique manner to cause more suffering. Others believe that this line is the course of human evolution and the symbol of heaven and hell.
After the Russians left Iran, the church was empty. Orthodox Christians are not inhabited in Iran, and this is why the building is now preserved as a historical monument. Of course, within this beautiful church, there are several handcrafted jewelry shops.